Kenwood VR-6070 THX/DPL2. Anyone has this unit? (Page 1)

 

John,
The Kenwood 6050 6060 and 6070 all have the most impressive control panel I've seen. And you get a ton of features for the money. I have tried my tail off to find a review of these units and can't find one. Only two things raise a red flag to me. First, they rate their THD (total harmonic distortion) at 0.70%, roughly 10 times anyone elses and I can't get a good answer on that. The other (and this kills it for me) is that their remote control looks awful and appears to me to be very cryptic. If you want to see a very well layed out remote, look at the Yamaha 5550 (crutchfield.com has great pictures of remotes). For this reason, I'm about to order that Yamaha, even though there are many thing I like better about the Kenwood 6050. I'm assuming that the remote will be used a ton to operate tuner/dvd/vcr/tv and don't want to drive my wife crazy trying to teach her how to use it. Please let me know how you've landed on your decision.
Gary
 

John Hackman
Gary,
I ordered the VR6070 and so far, no one has it. Even Crutfield says it has it, in fact they're still waiting for it.
This unit seems to be in great demand, especially with THX and Component video switching found in high end receiver. The THD is still confusing but Kenwood shows a better THD on their web site. It looks like they have updated the specs on the VR6070 and THD.
Will keep you informed when I get the unit...

-John
 

T Bradford
I saw these in Best Buy for 599.00
I am trying to decide between Kenwood 6070 and Yamaha 1000......

I have a Onkyo 656 currently.
 

http://www.discount-electronic.com

this is where I got mine and it is awsome and the price can not be beat, althought you may want to consider to haggle with bsless.com they gave my friend a better deal.
 

John S
How is the vr6070? Any comments?
 

John Hackman
Lowest price I have seen on the web was $399 for the VR-6070. This is very cheap.
BSLess sells it around $445 + 10 sh. I called them all and nobody has the receiver. I got mine at CrazyEddie for $465 all included + they throwed me an optical cable free of charge (for being patient).
 

I too am still waiting for this product. Everyone says they have it, then when you get online or telephone they don't. Does anyone know who actually has it in stock and what is the problem?
 

John Hackman
My local BestBuy has few VR-6070 in stock but at retail price (ouch!). I sent an email to customer service at Kenwood on order status but have not heard from them.
If you know anything, please let us know.
Thank you
 

Anonymous
Crutchfield has the VR-6070 in stock now, and they are factory authorized.
 

Anonymous
Anyone know what is the difference between VR6060 and VR6070? Their specs are identical, except the THX certification on VR6070.
 

John Hackman
THX is the only difference...
 

My buddy and I are shopping for recievers, and I'm favoring the KENWOOD 6070, and he is after the Marantz SR4200, which is 200$ less, and is only 5.1 without THX cert.

He believes the Marantz is better "build quality", citing an old Kenwood he had that "blew up".

I know its only possible to blow out a reciever if you intentionally do it, so in your opinion which would you get??

And to those who have it, what speakers are you using with the 6070? And what do you recommend???

Thanks for your input!

Dr. Pointer
 

John Hackman
Dr. Pointer,

Everybody has a different opinion on receivers. My opinion on Marantz brand is the opposite to what your buddy has. I have doubts on marantz products and quality, and found their products "oldies". Again this is my opinion.

If price is a concern, you will have to forget about THX certification and/or 6:1ch. Some new movies are coming out with 6:1ch decoding (ie. Star Wars Ep.1 DVD). The VR6070 (or VR6060) is a good investment for future movies...

About Kenwood receiver blowing up, I am not sure if this applies to the VR-60x0 series. These units are new on the market. I have been reading other reviews on older Kenwood receivers and never seens such a problem like that.

Since the output on the VR6070 delivers 100Wx6, I advise you to get speakers in the range of 130-160w. I use Bose, Kef and Boston Acoustic speakers and a Sony power sub. Seems to THD of 0.7 (total Harm. Distortion) is high on the surround (only at high volume) so you don't need to spend a fortune on rear surround spks.

This is my feedback, others may have different opinions...

JH
 

Chaz P.
Hey Guys,
The average human can only detect distortion starting around 5% and up. I don't think anyone can detect the diff from .7% & .07% distortion,,,,,,,it's only a spec. generated by a machine.
 

West Duncan
Hey, I just bought a Onkyo TX-SR600 and was wondering if I should have gone with the Kenwood VR-6070. The Kenwood has 20 watts more per channel and THX, but I was a little worried about the high THD on the surround sound. I went with Onkyo because the sound quality is superb.
 

John Hackman
Finally got my Kenwood VR6070 after 2 months of wait time. it took me about a full day to understand and configure it. The sound is awesome, great bass management, and fully auto detect on dolby/dts. I inserted Gladiator on DVD which is coded on DTS-ES 6.1 and the receiver automatically switched to DTS ES 6.1 channel. The surround back is fully independent of the surround rear (left & right), and I cannot distinguish the .7% THD even at high volume.
The THX from Pearl Harbor & Atlantis DVD just sound superb, no question on this.

Drawback: In order to get DTS-ES 6.1 and take fully advantage of the 6th back speaker, you need to use the digital coax cable. For Dolby Digital, you can use the optical cable. (I use both).

I strongly recommend this receiver to anyone on a tight budget, it has 6.1 output, THX, bass management, auto detect DVD source, component video switching, 6x100W/ch + Sub output, and one of the best sound I've heard.
 

John:
I am strongly considering the Kenwood vr-6060. Is the thx certification worth the extra $100 to upgrade to the vr-6070?
 

Eric Chyo
Hey John,

You said that you use both the digital coaxial and the optical cable. Can you run both cables at the same time or do you have to switch them depending on what kind of DVD you're playing? Also, where did you get your receiver and for how much? Thanks!
 

John Hackman
Jim, I though first the VR6060 and the VR6070 was the same except THX. Reading from the manual, looks like there is some difference on minor config options and the remote is also different. There are some DVD coded with THX (Atlantis, Pearl harbor...), there is a minor difference in sound with THX disable/enable, seems I get more depth w/ THX enabled and can actually pinpoint exactly where the sound is coming from (Get the demo THX CD from Kenwood, it's excellent).

Eric: I use both cable. The switch (optical/coax) is automatic, don't have to worry about that. Gladiator & Star Wars Ep.1 are encoded on DTS-ES 6:1. The Receiver automatically switch to DTS-ES 6:1 when the movie starts (that's so cool). The price range for the VR-6070 is $290-599. I got mine at Crazy Eddie for $365 sh. incl.

Cheers,

John
 

jeff lee
hey john
i am looking to purchase a 6070. you got yours at crazy eddies? they tell you to shop around, and they will beat any "legitimate" price. did you find a price a little above $365 that they beat? if so could you tell me where (specific company name and #) so i can give them that info and get them to give me a price like yours? their website lists the receiver for something like $430!!
thanks for your help
jeff
 

Eric Chyo
I just got a VR-6070 through Crazy Eddies for $450 w/shipping. Hey John, thanks for your response. Why can't I just use the digital coaxial cable rather than both the digital coaxial and optical? What will I miss out on if I only use the coaxial cable? Isn't the digital coaxial connector a better connection than the optical? Thanks for all your help!
 

John:
I also checked crazy eddy's price of $439.00. I would love to know how I can get the 6070 for $360.00.
Thanks.
 

John Hackman
Guys, I am sorry, I got the VR6070 at 465, not 365, my mistake...
When I ordered the unit, it was not available, I waited 2 months until I got the unit. So I had to pay high price even though the dealer (Crazy Eddie) did not have an exact price. I admit, I paid high for this model, I could probably have saved 50 bucks maybe or little less.

Rearding Coax and Optical. If you run only optical, you will NOT get 6:1 DTS-ES. You need Coax to get DTS-ES. The manual does not explain this in detail (very vague), I took me few days until I found this solution. Don't ask me why Kenwood did that, I am puzzled too... Optical will give you Dolby Digital and standard DTS 5.1 (I think), but not DTS-ES which is 6:1.

John
 

Eric Chyo
So running just a digital coaxial cable should cover all the bases right? Thanks John, you've been really helpful.
 

leonard brisebois
I have had the 6060 since June and really like it. It plays louder than I could want without distortion (Lord of the Rings was awesome). It has all the features that I could use and the price was good ($599 Canadian). I have had no problem with DTS-ES through my optical cable. This receiver really should receive more attention than it is getting.
 

Eric Chyo
Hey what kind of speaker wire do you guys use? What guage as well?
 

So, should I buy the VR-6060 or the VR-6070?
 

Glynn B.
In Australia the VR-6070 is called the KRF-X9060D-S. It only comes in silver, is just starting to take off and has a one to two week waiting list. It sell's for $1299AUS but you can get it down to $980AUS if you shop hard. In silver the three main knobs have that shiny 'polished' look and its looks great.
 

Chris Clark
I hope I don't sound stupid, but I need some clarification on the Kenwood VR-6070. The info I've seen says that you can hook up an extra set of surrounds or a subwoofer. I have a set of NHTs (SC-1, 2X SB-1, 2X SB-2, and a SW-10. I plan on adding one more SB-1 to the back. If so, is there still a place to hook up my sub? Thanks for your help.
 

leonard brisebois
I use Home Depot 12g wire with AXIOS 206 banana plugs.
 

John Hackman
Chris Clark, here is my speaker A config: FrontRight, CenterFront, FrontLeft, Sur.Right, Sur.Back, Sur.Left, and Sub. You still have two more connections for SpeakerB if you want to wire another room (it's limited though).

Leonard Brisebois, es tu Quebecquois? That's where I am from but living in the States...

John
 

Chris Clark
Thank you, John. Your answer is mega-helpful!
 

leonard brisebois
Hi John. I'm originally from a small town outside Winnipeg(Ile des Chenes), but I make my home now in Portage la Prairie, MB. Salut! :)
 

Eric Chyo
Are the banana plugs the best option for the VR6070? You can't use spades right? John, what are you using for speaker wires and connectors?
 

There seems to be some confusion still on the optical verses coaxial cable issue. John, are you saying that the coaxial cable will not give you Dolby Digital, and the optical cable will not give you DTS 6.1? I would prefer to use just one cable if possible.
 

John Hackman
Eric. I use standard speaker wires, I am not using this receiver as a high end classical music listening. I generally use high volume for movies (to 10-15 Decibels) on the VR-6070.

Jim. Coax vs Optical, seems someone here was able to get DTS-ES via an optical. I couldn't do this on my side so I use both cables. I have not tried the COAX alone so I cannot tell you if that works for Dolby Digital. Both COAX and OPTICAL are cheap now a day.

John
 

BEN
to jack hackman.
MOST MFG OVERSTATES THE POWER RATING ON THEIR RECIEVERS THEY SELL.THEY CLAIM 130X5 OH WELL MOST OF IT IS NOT TRUE.WHAT YOU NEED IS TO FIND OUT THE CONTINOUS POWER OUTPUT OF THE UNIT.YES IT WILL RUN AT HIGH POWER ON CERTAIN BANDWITH ONLY BUT BELIEVE ME THE KENWOOD 6070 WONT HAVE A CONTINOUS POWER OUTPUT OF 100WATTS OR MORE.IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS YOU NEED SEPARATE AMPS LIKE A MULTI CHANNEL AMP THAT HAS ITS INDEPENDENT POWER SUPPLY ON EACH CHANNEL.AND HAS TO BE A HIGH CONTINIOUS POWER OUTPUT,EXAMPLE OF RECIEVERS THAT HAS THIS HARMAN KARDON,MARANTZ,B&K ONKYO ADCOM AMPS,PARASOUND AMPS.AND ABOUT SPEAKERS YOU DONT NEED TO GET HIGHER WATTAGE BEC MOST MODERN LOUDSPEAKERS ARE EFFICIENT WHEN IT COMES TO THE POWER THEY RECIEVED FROM THE SOURCE GONE ARE THE OLD DAYS.YOU RATE SPEAKERS BY THE SENSITVITY NOT BY WATTS.20HZ,20000HZ ARE EXAMPLES.YOU CAN HAVE A BIG SPEAKERS BUT DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT SENSITIVITY IT WONT SOUND RIGHT.AND YOU CAN HAVE SMALL SPEAKERS THAT WILL SOUND FAR BETTER THAN BIG ONES THAT HAS LOWER WATT RATING BUT HAS BETTER SENSITIVITY THAN ITS BIG BROTHERS.
 

MANNY
TO BEN.
YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT MOST RECIEVERS THAT ARE OUT THERE.THEY OVERSTATES THE POWER OUTPUT.THIS ARE THE MFG CAN GET AWAY WITH BEC THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION DOES NOT REGULATE THE POWER RATINGS ON MFG CLAIM.YOU NEED TO BUY A RECIEVER THAT HAS A HIGH END CLASS TO ACHIEVE TRUE POWER RATING. REMEMBER YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
 

Anonymous
YOU GUYS HERE ALL MASS MARKET HOME THEATHER ENTHUSSIAST.HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF HIGH END HOME AUDIO.I GUESS NOT
 

Anonymous
Mr Anonymous, Sept. 14, this stream is going very well without that. I am professionally involved in the extreme high-end of home audio, yet still consider myself a 'Mass Market home theater enthusiast'. Let's face it, it is fascinating, and many people enjoy blowing money and seeking quality finds amongst 'low/middle end' electronics. This is a fine example, Kenwood have really done their homework on the 6070 and reviews as they come soon will surprise quite a few, that is why they are hard to get.
Mr Ben, you will be surprised at continuous power outputs of the 6070, and it can hold it's head high amongst the company you named.
Currently the best performance for dollar receiver on the market.
 

Hey Guys, Just bought my VR-6070. I don't care what this high end audio guy thinks, this receiver offers more for the money than anything else out there. He is probably just upset because he spent twice as much money for half as much receiver. If he had any guts, he would have identified himself instead of being anonymous.
 

leonard brisebois
I have the Kenwood 6060 and really like it. I was looking at the Kenwood website and noticed that the amplifier specs for the 6060 were the same as the 6070. Does anyone know, in fact, if they do use the same amps?
Thanks
 

Hello everybody!
My name is John also, and I purchased my Kenwood VR-6070 from www.MJSHOW.com (e-bay store) for the cool price of $509.00 including shipping!
I am very happy with my purchase although I have not hooked up all my speakers yet.... (6 pairs using: front, surround, and rear surround 7.1 pre outs as well as the 6 binding posts provided for a total of 12 speakers using 3 other pre amps.

Unfortunately, this receiver will not let you use all 6 binding posts in conjunction with the 7.1 pre outs provided. By using the rear center channel binding posts (6th channel) The 7.1 pre- outs only produce sound out of the left side. So, you must forego the 6th center speaker and use a stereo pair of speakers for 7.1 listening enjoyment witch isn't so bad... (just one less speaker... DARN!)

As far as receiving DTS-ES goes, using a good digital coax cable like Canare LV-77S will allow you to receive all digital formats including:
AC-3 Dolby 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES, and THX 7.1

Use this link to view this remarkable cable ...

http://cgi.ebay.com/...1374890308

Or, visit Cable Solutions at:

http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=8174502

Mark is a great guy to do business with and they make custom cables in different lengths, colors, and connectors... VERY COOL!

Music and sound have been my life since I was 12 years old. I looked for months for a receiver to control my home theater... Sony STR-DB1070, STR-DA5ES, STR-DA7ES ect... Until I stumbled onto the Kenwood VR-6070... all the processing for half the price! UNBELIEVEABLE! Well, I have bent your ears long enough on this subject. I will let you guys know how things work out after I get the rest of my system hooked up.

John / machinist68 =)
 

John Hackman
Leonard: The 6060 and 6070 have the same power.

Ben: I am aware of the power. Even if Kenwwod mentions 100x6 and the real cont. power is even less, that's way enough for my small movie theater. On top of that, the sound is great on my VR6070.

Jim/John: I agree with you, it may not be a $3000 receiver but the sound quality and options are fantastic. 6 Spkrs are enough for me. I just love this receiver...

Just found that Blade II on DVD is on 6:1, going to buy it soon...
 

John Hackman
Wow, this discussion forum is kicking... More messages here than any other receiver forums...

-John
 

FYI, The lowest price I have seen on the VR-6070 is at www.savinglots.com, $419 plus $21 shipping.
 

Eric Chyo
Savinglots.com hasn't had them in stock for a long time. They don't know when they are going to have them in stock either. I think your best bet is to call crazyeddie.com and quote the lowest price you can find with shipping and ask them to beat it. That's what I did, and they beat the price. They just take a long time to ship, but hey this receiver is hard to find in stock unless you buy it for $599 at Crutchfield, Circuit City or Best Buy.
 

Mark Woodhouse
Got my Kenwood VR-6070 yesterday. Whoohoo! Bought from http://www.discount-electronic.com. They had it on sale in Mid August for 415 plus about 15 shipping as my total shipped was 429 but they didn't have them instock, which I didn't know at the time. Found out after the purchase, that they didn't have them and that it would be at least 10 days before they got them. Credit Card was charged immediately even though product wasn't instock and wouldn't ship to me for another 3 weeks. That was kind of a downer but after about 3 weeks of waiting I emailed and got an immediate responce back they were getting a shipment in the next day. It was shipped the next day and I got it in less than a week. I noticed now on their website that the price as gone up 10 to 425 but they do have them in stock now according to their website. Even though I had to wait awhile, I don't think that was big deal because nobody seemed to have them and when they got them they shipped in immediately. Would definately recommend them as the price was the best I had found at the time and the shipping price at 15 was low for a 24 pound reciever. I am now debating whether to fully implement this into my Home theater now or wait a month when I move into my new house which is what I bought it for. All good things come to those who wait.
 

John Hackman
Mark. Welcome to the club... I am sure you will love your receiver...

John
 

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